The Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him (pbuh) was the founder prophet of Islam and the one to whom the final religion was revealed by Allah. He was born in a noble family in 570CE in Makkah, Arabia and he was a descendant of Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him). The word ‘Muhammad’ literally means ‘praiseworthy’. Read More
The following sayings and practises from the Prophet Muhammad (peace & blessing of God be on him), may shed more light on the wisdom of an illiterate orphan who’s efforts united Arabia and whose influence still impacts today’s world – more than 1400yrs on. Read More
His father, Abdullah, died a few months before his birth and his mother, Amena, died when he was just six years old. He was then cared for by his grandfather, Abdul-Muttalib, who also died two years later. Muhammad was then looked after by his uncle Abu-Talib.
Despite these hardships, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) grew up to be an honest, dignified, truthful, and intelligent person. He also helped his uncle with his trade, sometimes accompanying him on his travels to other lands.
Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) led a pious and simple life and was well-known for his willingness to help others. His conduct earned him the titles of As-Siddique (meaning the most truthful) and Al-Amin (meaning the most trustworthy). When he was twenty-five years old Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) married a respectable widow named Khadija who was fifteen years his senior. She was so impressed by his noble character that she placed at his disposal her wealth and slaves – whom he set free. The Holy Prophet(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also distributed much of the property among the poor and needy.
Muhammad(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to spend a lot of his time in the remembrance of Allah (‘Allah’ being the Arabic word for the One God). Often he would meditate in a cave called Hir’a that lay a few miles away from Makkah. When he was forty years old, he had a vision in which the Angel Gabriel appeared and conveyed to him the first Qur’anic revelation from Allah in the following words:
‘Recite in the name of your Lord Who created, created man from an adhesive clot. Recite, and your Lord is the Noblest, Who taught by the pen, taught man what he knew not.’ (Holy Qur’an Ch.96: Vs. 2-6)
Muhammad(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was so overawed by this experience that he rushed home and related it to his wife Khadija (on whom be peace), who then took him to her cousin Waraqa bin Naufal who was a Christian hermit. On hearing what had happened Waraqa said: ‘The angel who has descended on you is, I am sure, the same angel who previously descended on Moses.’ He was referring to the prophecy in Deuteronomy 18:18 (‘I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.’) foretelling the arrival of a great prophet. This, in fact, marked the beginning of the mission of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as a prophet and messenger of Allah. The verses noted above are the first verses of the Holy Qur’an that were revealed to Muhammad(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Over the next 23 years the entire Holy Qur’an was revealed to him and to this day its text remains completely unchanged.
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) preached the unity of God. He said that all divine religions preached the same message of unity of God and that to achieve peace man must discharge his obligations to both God and mankind. Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) helped the poor, liberated slaves, protected the weak from exploitation and established equal rights for women. He told his followers to be patient during hardship and to pray to Allah and put their trust in Him. His mission was to eradicate evil and iniquity and to establish goodness and piety in the world. This is why he is referred to in the Qur’an as the ‘mercy for all mankind’.